Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address at the launch of Swachhata Hi Seva movement
I welcome and congratulate all the 'Swachhagrahis' from the bottom of my heart, who have come from different corners of the country. This day, 15th September, is pretty historic in itself. It is historic because this morning has brought a new determination, enthusiasm and hope. Today you, me and the 125 crore Indians are about to reiterate the resolution of 'Swachhta Hi Seva' or 'Cleanliness is indeed service'. All of us will perform 'shramdaan' and make our contribution with a new zeal and enthusiasm to keep India clean, beginning from today up to 2nd October which is the birth anniversary of Respected Bapuji.
We have seen that even though houses are not properly cleaned up on other days, efforts are made to clean every corner of the house right before the festival of Diwali. Similarly, we should also strive to clean every corner of the country and this behavior must persist for every month and every year.
The cleanliness campaign or the movement that had started four years ago has now reached a crucial stage. I can proudly claim that every section of the nation, every sect, every caste,my friends of different age groups are pushing this great campaign forward. Not a single village, street or city is untouched by this movement.
India's coverage of cleanliness in 2014 was just 40%. It has increased to more than 90% as a result of your hard work and determination. Perhaps no one would have thought that we could make such strides in coverage of cleaning in just four years; something that couldn't be done in the last 60-65 years. Would anyone have ever thought that nearly 9 crore toilets could be built in India in the last four years? Had anyone ever imagined that approximately 4.5 lakh villages would become Open Defecation Free in the last four years? Had anyone ever thought that more than 450 districts would be Open Defecation Free in the last four years? Had anyone ever thought that 20 states and Union Territories would become Open Defecation Free in the last four years?
This is the strength of India and the Indians, the Swachhagrahis. The government alone cannot bring about a transformation to such an extent. Cleanliness is playing a crucial role in improving the lives of the people in terms of both health and wealth.
According to one of the estimates of the World Health Organization , cleanliness will play a significant role in saving the lives of 3 lakh people and accordingly to a study, cleanliness will reduce the instances of Diarhhoea by 30%.
However brothers and sisters, merely constructing toilets will not ensure cleanliness of India. Providing facilities such as toilets, dustbins and garbage disposal is just a medium. Cleanliness is a habit that needs to be inculcated. This is a Yajna of behavioral change in which every citizen of the country is making his/her positive contribution.
I am putting efforts to listen to your experiences related to 'Swachh Bharat Mission', learn from you and then all of us together will perform 'shramdaan'. Today we will get the opportunity to visit every corner of the country. We will also get the opportunity to know about the ongoing efforts there.
Once again I would like to tell my countrymen that the dedication, contribution, experience and cooperation of Swachhagrahis is commendable! The way the country's noted personalities have participated in this movement, allotted 2 hours of their day for this purpose and shared their experiences, depicts the manner in which the country's 125 crore Indians have projected this movement in front of the entire world.
In the future, whenever anything is read or written about this movement, the names of all the Swachhagrahis will be inscribed in Golden letters. I believe that just as the martyrs of the freedom struggle are respected and honored today, your contribution will also be remembered with the same respect and honor; you will be viewed as true heirs of Respected Bapu. This is because you have become a warrior of nation building, a savior of the poor and the weak and the credit of establishing the country's pride in front of the world also goes to you. The strength of the 125 crore Indians is unbridled and limitless. Our enthusiasm is on the rise. Our belief is at its peak. Our resolutions are ready for accomplishment and you all are ready to perform 'shramdaan'. My best wishes to you all. I bid my farewell to you as even I have to join you somewhere for 'Shramdaan'.
I once again congratulate you all from the bottom of my heart for your inspiration and hard work. I end my speech by saluting all the great personalities. Thanks a lot!